Vietnam tunnel rat

The Army faced two different threats in the Vietnam War, preventing it from focusing on exceptional performance in either conventional or unconventional warfare.

The film is based on the factual duties of tunnel rats during the Vietnam War. In a documentary for the film, Boll revealed the film did not have a script, and instead the actors improvised their lines. A group of US Army soldiers, trained in underground warfare , arrive at base camp in the jungle of South Vietnam. The soldiers spend the first day and night getting to know each other. Armed with nothing more than bayonets , pistols, grenades and flashlights, the US soldiers take to the tunnels in search and destroy operations, and begin to encounter dangers including primitive but lethal booby traps , such as punji sticks , grenades rigged with tripwire , as well as roving Viet Cong troops. Meanwhile, Garraty and Johnson are killed first, and later Sergeant Heaney and Verano are both killed as Green escapes, and up on the surface Harris and Lidford escape to the bottom of the tunnel, and Lidford is killed later on, Porterson successfully escapes through the tunnels.

Vietnam tunnel rat

The Viet Cong were well known for their devious jungle ambushes and cruelly ingenious booby traps. Operation Crimp, undertaken by U. Jonathan O. Seaman, commander, 1st Infantry Division, was the overall allied leader. The 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, operating as part of the rd, played a significant role in the operation. The mission, according to the After-Action Report written by Col. William D. Brodbeck, commander of 3rd Brigade, and staff member 2nd Lt. Leo J. Unsuspecting U. The communists began digging these tunnels under the jungles of South Vietnam in the late s while fighting the French. They hollowed out hundreds of miles of subterranean passages throughout South Vietnam bit by bit and often by hand. These tunnels were able to withstand most explosions—the soil contained clay and iron which created a cement-like binding agent. As soil dried, it remained stable without supports.

A soldier inspects the remnants of a VC underground campfire in Plans called for Operation Crimp to begin on the heels of Operation Marauder with preparatory action to commence late on Jan, vietnam tunnel rat.

Hi, my dad just passed away and an ex cop partner of his told us my dad was a "Tunnel Rat" during the war. My dad only mentioned a couple of vague hand to hand combat situations he and his guys got into but never mentioned anything about being a Tunnel Rat. One aspect of the Vietnam War that contributed to the difficulty in defeating the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army was their extensive use of tunnels and underground fortifications to avoid losses to massive American firepower. Both the VC and NVA built tunnel complexes when the terrain was suitable, the most infamous example being the extensive tunnels around the village of Cu Chi, near several bases of the 1st Infantry Division. The existence of the tunnels in many regions of South Vietnam required Army and Marine units to develop a capability to fight underground. They organized makeshift units made up of volunteers, necessarily men of small stature, to go into the tunnels to confront the enemy. There have been accounts of firefights in the dark, and if American forces prevailed, they would destroy as much of the underground complex as possible with explosives.

The Viet Cong amassed around kilometers of underground tunnels. This network connected villages, cities, and districts. The tunnels also hosted armament workshops, training depots, headquarters, and a variety of other facilities. They helped conduct military operations on behalf of communist forces. Though Americans, Australians, and New Zealanders claim to know these hideouts existed, they overlooked their size and importance. Equally , these countries failed to understand how difficult it would be to detect and neutralize such networks. Read on to learn about the crazy booby traps soldiers faced, the creepy crawlies they encountered, and the damaging psychological consequences of such close combat. You can also learn about how these soldiers came about, who opted to become one, how they trained, and what equipment they used.

Vietnam tunnel rat

The Army faced two different threats in the Vietnam War, preventing it from focusing on exceptional performance in either conventional or unconventional warfare. The conventional forces of the North Vietnamese Army demanded respect from the U. At the same time, the unconventional insurgency of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam known as the Viet Cong presented a very real threat to Soldiers throughout the conflict. Tunnels were particularly useful in the insurgency and a series of tunnel networks provided the Viet Cong with manufacturing, resupply, and planning space within easy striking distance of their targets. Few Soldiers could fit into the tunnels and follow the guerillas into their lairs. While ordinary Soldiers occasionally went into the tunnels the Army recognized the need for a select group of experts to solve this unique problem. Aside from helicopter pilots and Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols, few conventional non-special operations Soldiers would place themselves so consistently in danger in Vietnam. III Corps estimated one such tunnel network had been made over the course of up to 20 years and had small, well-camouflaged entrances. Viet Cong tunnels were generally either simple, shallow structures used as refuges and fighting positions or large, complex networks used to evade detection of medical, staging, or command areas. The layers of clay used to construct the walls and ceiling defied easy demolition or collapse of the tunnel.

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The 1st Infantry Division created the most formal tunnel rat organization; however, any infantry unit that encountered tunnels would have their own tunnel rats, if only for a short time. At one point, Green heroically crawled back to save a comrade. Sign in to reply Cancel. The engineers from No. The latter option also tended to solve the problem of booby-trapped doors and both meant that the rat could at least enter the tunnel unopposed, which some rats preferred despite alerting anyone below to their presence. This was the first American engagement fought at divisional level and, despite significant casualties, most leaders viewed it as a success. Boll KG. Download as PDF Printable version. JeffWyatt Thank you for posting your question on History Hub! Bombing was ineffective: even pound bombs landing 50 yards away from a tunnel entrance had no effect on either the tunnel or the entrance. Visit the Museum Plan Your Visit. Germany Canada. Tunnel rats moved from ad hoc discovery of best practices to writing a new set of tactics, techniques, and procedures for clearing tunnels.

These American, Australian and New Zealander soldiers infiltrated and sabotaged the intensely-claustrophobic labyrinth of underground tunnels used by the Vietcong to launch surprise attacks and set up ambushes.

At first, sentries thought it was one of their own patrols, and as a result Australian machine gunners did not open fire until the last second. The tunnel system could be home to venomous snakes whether living there or kept as traps by Viet Cong or scorpions around every corner or in any wall indentation or hidden ledge. Dogs sent down could not avoid any booby traps. Suddenly, the top of a well-hidden tunnel flew open and a Viet Cong soldier jumped out holding grenades. Boll KG. Operation Crimp Operation Crimp, undertaken by U. The tiny tunnels, most only measuring two feet by three feet, meant Soldiers could only enter one at a time. Typically, a tunnel rat was equipped with only a standard issue M pistol or M revolver , [4] a bayonet , a flashlight , and explosives. Ellis W. Forums - Thread Details. Spiders, mosquitoes, and bats annoyed and distracted Soldiers already on edge. Upon leaving the tunnels they whistled an agreed-upon tune so their muddy figure would not be mistaken for a Viet Cong guerilla. Tunnel construction occasionally included anti-intruder features such as U-bends that could be flooded quickly to trap and drown the tunnel rat. This was the first American engagement fought at divisional level and, despite significant casualties, most leaders viewed it as a success. The latter option also tended to solve the problem of booby-trapped doors and both meant that the rat could at least enter the tunnel unopposed, which some rats preferred despite alerting anyone below to their presence.